| The loss by staff at Her Majesty's Revenue & | | | | customers will be reimbursed their losses, but |
| Customs of two CDs that contain sensitive | | | | those who were affected will have suffered a |
| information about 25million UK residents is only the | | | | great deal of inconvenience and worry, and their |
| latest in a series of high-profile scare stories that | | | | confidence in using their cards online or on the |
| highlight the need to protect our personal and | | | | phone may well be shattered. |
| financial information, and prevent us becoming the | | | | The combination of the tax office fiasco and the |
| unwitting victims of identity fraud. | | | | calculated infiltration of Tesco has prompted a lot |
| In 2006 an estimated 178,000 people in Britain | | | | of opinion from fraud experts about the |
| were affected by identity fraud which cost the | | | | seriousness of these security breaches. Some, |
| country close to £1.7billion. There is a thriving | | | | say the information lost by the government |
| illegal market in stolen identities where the price of | | | | would be of little use to potential fraudsters, but |
| obtaining someone's date of birth, credit card | | | | others say there is enough information there for |
| details and other sensitive information can be as | | | | criminals to start making significant inroads into |
| little as £7. | | | | stealing numerous people's identities. |
| Of course, when the government potentially gives | | | | But, what can you do to minimise the risk? It has |
| away our personal information there is little we | | | | always been important to compare credit cards |
| can do. And, it's not just government | | | | and the benefits that they offer when shopping |
| incompetence that poses a risk; fraudsters | | | | around for a new card, but now a growing |
| infiltrating commercial organisations and stealing | | | | number of credit card deals include online fraud |
| customer's details is also a real threat, and one | | | | protection as part of the package. For those |
| that has reared its ugly head recently. | | | | worried by recent events and who do a great |
| A member of staff at the Cardiff call centre of | | | | deal of online shopping this should be considered |
| Tesco Direct - the online & catalogue shop for | | | | an essential benefit. As well as refunding you in |
| superstore giants Tesco - was arrested after | | | | case of loss, you will also have peace of mind. |
| stealing shopper's debit and credit card details. | | | | Although there is no way to stop government |
| Working in the telephone orders department the | | | | incompetence or commercial fraud, if you possess |
| fraudster passed on the customer's personal and | | | | UK credit cards that offer fraud protection at |
| credit card details to accomplices in London who | | | | least you won't be out of pocket in the long run |
| then used them to buy goods. Of course, Tesco | | | | should the worst ever happen. |